Carton.



C E. LUKE.

CARTON.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6. I917.

1 3., Patented July 24, 1917.

F151- 9 3 Al llllllilllllhh m Mg 5 17 7 6 7 FIRE. a FIG E 8 I l||||||||||||||||. l||||l|||||| 8 8 6 0X 5 2/0 b g /'0 WITNESSES CHARLES E. LUKE, OF IRWIN, PENNSYLVANIA.

CARTON.

Application filed March 6,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. LUKE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Irwin, in the county of VVestmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cartons, of which the following is a specification.-

The primary object of this invention is to provide for sealing a carton and for breaking the seal without impairing the efficiency of the overlapping flaps for temporarily closing the carton until it has been emptied.

In the packing of biscuits, cereal foods, etc., it is common practice to so permanently unite the overlapping flaps as to render it necessary to destroy an end or side of the carton to gain access thereto. Another practice is to interlock the flaps of a carton, and then incase and seal the carton in a paper wrapper, the latter being torn off in order to open the package.

With the present invention the flaps are united in such manner as to securely. seal the carton, the seal being broken by tearing one of the flaps along a marginal portion thereof, thereby freeing it from the then underlying flap, after which the positions of the flaps are reversed, with the flap carrying the adhering severed marginal portion outermost and adapted to removably interlock with the other flap for temporarily though securely closing the carton while its contents are being used.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View ofa blank from which the improved carton may be formed. Fig. 2 is an end view of the blank with the flaps folded and sealed, and Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the seal broken and the positions of the flaps reversed for temporarily closing the carton.

Referring to the drawings, 2 and 3 are the opposed side walls of the carton and 4 are the opposed edge walls, the blank shown in Fig. 1 being adapted to fold together into the rectangular form shown in Figs. 2 and Sides 2 and 3 carry at one end the opposed flaps 5 and 6, respectively, which are adapted to fold over each other interchangeably, with either flap 5 outermost as in Fig. 2, or flap 6 outermost as in Fig. 3. The edge Walls 4 carry the usual oppositely folding flaps 7 which ordinarily are folded beneath flaps 5 and 6.

For sealing the carton, the marginal por- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 24, 19W.

191?. Serial No. 152,746.

tion 8 of flap 5 paralleling fold line 5 thereof is pasted or otherwise permanently secured to the then under flap 6, as in Fig. 2, thereby maintaining the carton closed and sealed. At the inner'edge of the marginal portion flap 5 is partially scored at 8, the score preferably paralleling fold 5, whereby flap 5 may Without inconvenience or further mutilation be torn on line 8 and thereby released from flap 6, leaving the marginal portion adhering to the last mentioned flap. To facilitate the tearing operation, marginal portion 8 is preferably notched inwardly or shortened at its ends at 9, thereby affording ready access to the tear line 8 without mutilating either flap.

Flap 5 may be provided with lock slots I 10 and flap 6 with ears 11 adapted to cooperate With the slots as in Fig. 3, the flaps being thus secured after the seal has been broken and their positions reversed-for the purpose of temporarily closing the carton until'all of its contents have been used.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the sealing means in no way interferes with the temporary closing means, yet the seal is fully effective for maintaining the carton permanently closed until it is opened by the consumer, and at the same time the means for temporarily closing the carton are in no way impaired by the seal, nor by the seal breaking operation.

I claim:

1. A carton having opposed flaps adapted to fold interchangeably one over the other, when the carton is sealed the outer flap having a separable marginal portion permanently fastened to the under flap, and means for detachably connecting the flaps after their folded positions have been reversed following severance of the said marginal portion from the flap on which it is formed.

2. A carton having opposed flaps adapted to fold interchangeably one over the other, one of the flaps having a marginal portion extending parallel with its line of fold with said marginal portion secured to the underlying flap for sealing the carton, and means for detachably securing said underlying flap folded over .said .marginally formed flap after the secured margin of the latter has beeln severed for the purpose of breaking the sea 3. A paper carton having opposed flaps adapted to fold one over the other, the outermost flap (when the carton is sealed) having a detachable marginal portion of less length than said flap with said marginal portion pasted to the under flap, said margin-carrying flap formed with slots and said under flap having projecting portions adapted to interlock with said slots for temporarily closing the carton after the margin-carrying flap has had the marginal ortion thereof severed and the position of the flaps reversed.

4. A paper carton having opposed flaps adapted to fold interchangeably one over the other, the outermost flap (when the carton is sealed) having at its free edge a scored marginal portion with the opposite free corners of said flap removed to form notches which intersect the scored marginal portion to facilitate severing the latter, said marginal portion permanently fastened to the under flap when the carton is sealed, and means for detachably uniting the flaps when their folded positions have been reversed following breaking of the seal.

5. A carton having opposed flaps adapted to fold interchangeably one over the other, when the carton is sealed the outer flap having a separable marginal portion permanently fastened'to the under flap, and means for detachably connecting the flaps for clos ing the carton after said "marginal portion has been severed. T

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHAS. E. LUKE. Witnesses:

H. L. WRIGHT, R. J. FOSTER. 

